Need help with Wireless networking

[rootaxs]

I just bought a Netgear wireless PC card (MA521) to connect to my Speedstream 2624 wirelessly. Installation was a breeze. However, i can't seem to get the PC card to see the router.

I have the SSID set to the same on both of them, ditto on the channels. WEP is turned off while i'm trying to figure this out.

If i have the PC card search under "infrastructure" settings, it just keeps looking. But if i do ad-hoc, it finds the router and connects. Only problem with ad-hoc is there is no signal strength mentioned and i'm still basically not connected (Win2k insists that the network is unavailable).

I consider myself fairly competent with my PC's - however i'm stumped this time.

Any ideas?

Thanks.

 

[CHiM721]

Get a LinkSYS router. They destroy that one as well as install with such ease a kindergardener could do it.

 

[rootaxs]

I had a Linksys (non-wireless) router that would reset every now and then. Ditto with another D-Link i bought thereafter. The Speedstream i have now is the only one that's been reliable.

If not necessary, i will not buy a new router just because x is better than y. Unless of course it solves the problem i have above.

Thanks for the input tho.

 

[johnjkr1]

Wireless networking is a PAIN the first time around...it gets easier. What I've found is that its easier to start of with the simplest options. For example, turn off the SSID, or have it broadcast SSID, reboot everything, does it work now? No, then dont start adding other featuers untill you get it working in simple mode.

 

[rootaxs]

Hmm, i checked on the router settings page. There's nothing to the tunes of broadcasting or turning off SSID (i'm assuming leaving it blank may work). I'll keep trying.

Thanks!

 

[johnjkr1]

You may need to look a bit harder, Broadcast SSID is on every router. If its not set to broadcast, your card has to "find it" by you manually entering the SSID name. If its broadcast, its much easier to find.

 

[rootaxs]

I've looked and looked... no such thing in the config page of the router

Anyone else?

 

[supernancy]

 

[supernancy]

You know, it could just be the router.
Here is another two people who couldn't see the router:
http://groups.google.com/groups?hl=...kY3.7042661%40twister.southeast.rr.com&rnum=4

I was going to suggest you look harder to turn the SSID broadcasting on or off, but I found this thread, where the last post says the SSID perhaps cannot be shut off;
http://groups.google.com/groups?hl=...062%40newsread1.prod.itd.earthlink.net&rnum=4

Is this your first time setting up wireless?
Can you connect via the wired LAN?
Is your laptop set to DHCP?

 

[johnjkr1]

I assume your using Windows XP, if so, have you tried setting the wireless networking utility to "not let windows configure my wireless"

 

[rootaxs]

Thanks for those links supernancy!

Unfortunately it hasn't helped me at all. My router only has one page for wireless configuration - and the only reference to SSID's is the area where i can type the name.

I've set up Wireless connections before, albeit using different hardware. The wired network is working fine, first time i tried wireless on this router i thought maybe one of the 4 ports are being shared so i took 3 computers offline and switched ports one after another, to no avail.

johnjkr1, i'm on Win2k still.

 

[johnjkr1]

Are you using the latest utility off of Netgear's website?

 

[rootaxs]

Yep, sure am.

What bugs me is how ad-hoc works (e.g. they see each other but that's about it) - so that rules out hardware incompatibility, even though they both are .11b.